Jamie Wells' rationale for opening a brewery is as straightforward as it gets.

"I like brewing and I wanted to do it for a living," he said recently during an interview at his J Wells Brewery, which is located in a cozy, garage-like space in an industrial strip on 49th street, just off Pearl.

Originally from Texas, Wells moved to Colorado in 1992, shortly after graduating from high school, and worked as a puppeteer at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. That's also when he became interested in homebrewing. He developed his brewing chops, in part, by making nearly every recipe in Charlie Papazian's seminal book, "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing."

After returning to Texas for some time, Wells came back to Colorado in 2008, this time with his family, and began working toward opening a small brewery. He slowly collected brewing equipment and worked on his recipes until "my wife kicked me out of the garage in 2011," he said.

That's when Wells started looking for a dedicated space to brew and serve his beers. Although he has rented his current location since April 2012, a gauntlet of regulatory requirements, paperwork and other considerations slightly delayed his grand opening.

"It's an amazing amount of work," Wells said. "But I'm a goal-oriented person. I keep an eye on the big picture but take things one step at a time."

With lots of hard work and help from what Wells calls the "brotherhood of brewers," his vision became a reality when J Wells Brewery officially opened in January.

Today, Wells and an assistant brew at least twice a week on a 1.5-barrel system that Wells originally built as a homebrew rig. The boutique-sized production output makes him, according to Wells, the smallest nanobrewery in Boulder, but that's not to say that demand for his beers is lacking.

The J Wells taproom enjoys a steady stream of patrons -- lots of people on bikes who arrive via the Goose Creek Path and other cycling routes that pass near the brewery (Wells has ordered new bikes racks to install out front), employees from nearby businesses and locals who make a destination of the brewery's off-the-beaten-path location. "We're the best-kept secret in Boulder," Wells told one customer.

Wells' approach to brewing centers on traditional English and American styles, including a crisp, low-alcohol English-style bitter called Jamie's Best. Also on tap during a recent visit were Wells' Chocolate Milk Stout, a lighter Summer Ale and his flagship Hop Haze Imperial IPA, a complex and zesty double IPA.

Hop Haze is also available in 22-ounce bottles at many local liquor stores and is on draft at Backcountry Pizza & Tap House in Boulder and, as of this week, at Turley's.

The extra exposure has helped spread the word about his beer, Wells said, and at least one customer has made a visit to the J Wells taproom after trying the beer at Backcountry.

When customers visit the taproom, it's important for Wells that they find something they like. Wells strives to brew his beers according to established style guidelines, with an emphasis on ingredient selection and overall quality. The brewery's motto: "Life's too short for ordinary beer."

"Whenever people order a particular style of beer, they expect certain things," Wells said. "And I want to give people what they expect."

Taproom patrons also serve as an informal tasting panel, and Wells will often tweak his recipes based on customer feedback until they're dialed in just right.

It's this attention to detail, as well as his focus on producing high-quality traditional English- and American-style beers, that Wells believes sets his brewery apart, especially as more small- and midsized breweries open locally.

"It's better for customers when they have more choices," Wells said, "and they don't always make the same choice, but there has to be some distinction in the marketplace."

And, judging by the overall quality of his excellent beers and the growing clientele in his taproom, it appears Wells has done well in establishing his niche.

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